Thread: VG10 steel, good choice?

Hi all,

Would VG10 steel (Japanese hard steel) 62HRC be a good choice for a straight razor? Seem not many (if any) razors have this steel? Is it more expensive / difficult to hone, etc. Kindly advise, thanks.

Originally Posted by Kalecommando

Hi all,

Would VG10 steel (Japanese hard steel) 62HRC be a good choice for a straight razor? Seem not many (if any) razors have this steel? Is it more expensive / difficult to hone, etc. Kindly advise, thanks.

I think cost is the major reason plus it is a Japanese steel so hard to get. That being said, I have it in many of my knives and find it to be excellent in that application. holds an edge fairly well, good rust resistance, easy to hone and takes a wicked edge.

Thanks, I actually received it today. A really nice & affordable VG10 hollow ground. Didn't have the chance to shave yet, but it passed the HHT straight of the box. Great.

Beautiful black ebony scales with metal insides. Double copperheads. Nice heft. I will take a photo soon.

Originally Posted by Kalecommando

Thanks, I actually received it today. A really nice & affordable VG10 hollow ground. Didn't have the chance to shave yet, but it passed the HHT straight of the box. Great.

Beautiful black ebony scales with metal insides. Double copperheads. Nice heft. I will take a photo soon.

Where did you find a razor in VG-10?

I also own many knives in VG10 I like the steel also one of the very best steels if you want to put a mirror polish on a blade, If I'm not mistaken I'm sure Butch Harner makes a few razors using VG10 steel.

It's a quite normal stainless steel, how good it is for razors would depend on the heat treatment.
You want to keep the carbides small.

Originally Posted by celticcrusader

I also own many knives in VG10 I like the steel also one of the very best steels if you want to put a mirror polish on a blade, If I'm not mistaken I'm sure Butch Harner makes a few razors using VG10 steel.

I didn't know butch had access to stock VG-10. Expensive and hard to get. Great steel on my knives. Easy to hone and takes an awesome edge.
I cheat and use the wicked edge system. Bar none the best system I have ever used.

Originally Posted by Lemur

It's a quite normal stainless steel, how good it is for razors would depend on the heat treatment.
You want to keep the carbides small.

From an application standpoint, I would think it would be fantastic with a good HRC. Just expensive and hard to obtain.

As promised, here are some photos. VG10 steel. 62HRC. Double copperhead. (nice solid heft at 115 grams) Ebony wood, copper heads 2x, metal on the inside of the scales. Jimping on the tang. (bottom side)

I shaved with it straight from the box, just to test it. It needed a little bit of stropping though. But after that... all set. It was my first shave with a straight razor. (normally I use Edwin Jagger DE89 (awesome), or a Parker Shavette. (good learning tool)

Shaving with this animal was easy, I noticed a totally different sound. A kind of metallic 'tingy' sound when shaving. Interesting. I think I am going to love this!

ps. the first few photos show a somewhat distorted look of the scales.. (wobbly) this is not the case. Take note.

Haha, it's cool, looks like a pocketknife!